Adjustable mounting for rock drills



Aug. 29, 1967 c. T THOMPSON ADJUSTABLE MOUNTING FOR ROCK DRILLS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 30, 1964 INVENTOR.

CHARLES T. THOMPSON 29, 1967 c. T. THOMPSON 3,338,316

ADJUSTABLE MOUNTING FOR ROCK DRILLS File d Dec. 50, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 CHARLES T. THOMPSON United States Patent G 3,338,316 ADJUSTABLE MOUNTING FOR ROCK DRILLS Charles T. Thompson, Claremout, N.H., assiguor to Joy Manufacturing Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Dec. 30, 1964, Ser. No. 422,342 7 Claims. (Cl. 173- 43) This invention relates to an adjustable tool support and more particularly to a roll-over boom for mounting a power tool such as a hammer rock drill thereon.

In building modern rock drilling equipment it has become common practice to mount an elongated, longitudinally feedable, drilling device at the forward end of a forwardly extending elongated drill jib or boom, universally adjustably mounted at its rearward end on a mobile support means such as a truck or crawler. The jib or boom being pivotable about the rearward end thereof in both the horizontal and vertical plane and the drilling device being angularly adjustable in relation thereto, it is possible to position the drilling device in a wide variety of angular positions relative to the mobile support. Such an adjustable jib mounting for rock drills is shown and described in US. Patent 2,791,399, and copending application Ser. No. 301,366, filed Aug. 12, 1963, now Patent No. 3,226,064, which patent is assigned to the same assignee as is this application. Such devices have served the purpose for which they were designed, but have not been entirely successful under all conditions of operation for the following reasons. In prior art drill mounting structures the drilling device is mounted to pivot about a center laterally displaced from the center line of the jib or boom with the result that, in developing a tunnel or other passageway by the drilling of holes and placing of explosive charges therein, wherein it is desired to drill the holes parallel to the axis of the shaft or tunnel, the off center mounting of the drilling device results in the development of a blind spot, which is an area surrounding the intersection of the boom center line with the working face when the boom is parallel to the axis of the tunnel, unreachable by the drilling device when the device is parallel to the tunnel axis. This unreachable area or blind spot, normally centrally located in the working face, is an area of particular importance in preparing for a burn round as utilized in modern techniques of tunnel development.

The adjustable drill mounting structure of this invention provides for pivoting the drilling device about a point which is on the center line of the jib so that in parallel drilling no such blind spot as above described is developed;

a further advantage of the drill mounting structure of this invention resides in the avoidance of lift and swing cylinder interference when positioning the drilling device regardless of the desired angular position of the drilling device with respect to the boom so that when combined with the roll-over boom of the above cited co-pending application the strucure of this invention provides for remotely controlled, powered, rapid repositioning of the drilling equipment, particularly suitable for the production of holes parallel to the axis of the tunnel being de veloped and distributed over the entire area of the Working face without regard to the boom position.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a new and improved adjustable mounting for rock drills.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a new and improved mounting for rock drills having an elongated pivoted drilling device rotatable about a point on the center line of an angularly adjustable jib supporting said device.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a new and improved mounting for rock drills having a drilling device positionable for drilling holes parallel to the axis of the tunnel being developed at any part of the area of the working face.

These and other objects and advantages of the adjustable mounting for rock drills of this invention will become more readily apparent on further consideration of the following description and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the adjustable rock drill mounting of this invention including fragmentary views of portions of the apparatus in different positions than those shown in the complete drawing;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 with fragmentary views of portions of the apparatus in different positions from those shown in the complete view; and

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of the Working face of a tunnel or of a passageway being developed by application of the apparatus of this invention.

The adjustable mounting of this invention is herein described as associated with a mobile base such as a crawler tractor vehicle supporting and transporting a universally adjustable jib although it will be evident that the jib may be mounted in various other manners as on a tripod support. It is also evident that while the drilling tool carried by the support of this invention herein assumes the form of a convenional hammer rock drill, other types of tools, lsjuch as rotary drills or wrenches may be supported there- In FIG. 1 there is shown a fragmentary portion of the forward end of a mobile base 10 supported on and rendered movable over a surface by wheels or tracks or other means of locomotion (not shown) and in turn universally pivotably supporting an elongated forwardly extended drill jib 12 in a manner more completely shown and described in the above cited US. patent. Movement of the jib 12 in substantially vertical planes about its universal pivot connection with the mobile base 10 is actuated and controlled by a double acting, extensible, hydraulically actuated, jib lift cylinder 16 suitably supplied with suitably controlled pressure fluid from a source of pressure fluid (not shown). In like manner a jib swing cylinder 14 actuates and controls the movement of the jib 12 in generally horizontal directions (see FIG. 2).

To establish the directions hereinafter used in the de scription of this device there is shown at the left hand end of FIGS. 1 and 2 a hatched portion representing earth strata such as a mineral vein 18 having a portion of a tunnel or entry 19 developed therein. The entry 19 has a substantially vertical face 20 representing the most advanced portion of the entry 19 so far developedand a substantially flat substantially horizontal floor surface 214. Additionally the entry 19 has an upwardly arched roof surface 22 (see FIG. 3) as well as wall portions or right and left hand ribs 23 and 24 respectively (see FIGS. 2 and 3), the ribs 23 and 24 being substantially vertically'disposed and forming the sides of the tunnel or entry 19. As hereinafter described the direction to the right in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be cited as the rearward direction while the direction to the left will be referred to as the forward direction while the roof 22 and the floor 21 will of course determine the directions up and down respectively with the ribs 23 and 24 of FIGS. 2 and 3 establishing directions to the right and to the left, respectively.

Referring again toFIG. l, the mobile support 10 is provided with a connecting means 26 pivotable about a vertical axis and in turn pivotably connected to the jib 12 and the lift cylinder 16 to provide the universally pivotable connection between the mobile support 10 and the jib 12 as described in the above cited US. patent. The jib 12 comprises a formed hollow gear case 30 and an elongated tubular portion 34 rigidly secured to the gear case 30 which is in turn pivotably secured to the connecting means 2.27 26 as by suitable lugs and pin as further described in the above cited co-pending application.

An offset roll-boom 36 has a forward tubular portion 37 and a rearward tubular portion 38 with axes parallel to each other but laterally spaced with the forward end of the rearward portion 38 and the rearward end of the forward portion 37 laterally spaced apart and rigidly secured to a connecting portion 40 substantially normal to the portions 37 and 38. The rearward tubular portion 38 is rotatably slideably mounted within the tubular portion 34 and connected within the gear case 30 for powered rotation through full 360 about the axis of the rearward tubular portion 38 and is positively lockable in any position of rotation such as the reversed position shown in the lower fragmentary view in FIG. 1 wherein the offset rollboom is indicated at 36". In respect to the powered rotation of the offset roll-boom 36 and the mechanism therefor and for locking in a variety of positions, the jib 12, the gear case 30 and the rearward tubular portion 38 are connected and powered as described in the above cited copending application.

Pivotally mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis normal to the axis of the forward portion 37 is a drill frame support member 42 having pivotably mounted thereon an elongated drill frame 50 secured to an upper surface of the support member 42, as shown in the complete view of FIG. 1, for rotation about a substantially vertical axis in a manner well known in the art. An elongated, fluid actuated, extensible drill frame lift cylinder 44 is connected between spaced portions of the forward tubular portion 37 and the support member 42 to provide for angular positioning and repositioning of the drill frame 51) about the horizontal axis while a similar elongated, fluid actuated, extensible drill frame swing cylinder 46 is connected between spaced portions of the drill frame 50 and the support member 42 to provide for rotation of the drill frame 50 about the substantially vertical axis. The lift cylinder 44 and the swing cylinder 46 are suitably connected as by flexible hoses to a suitable controlled source of pressure fluid to provide remote control angular positioning and repositioning of the drill frame 50. The drill frame 50 is also slidable with respect to the support member 42 for a limited amount of longitudinal movement in the forward direction as by a drill frame feed cylinder (not shown) for the purpose of bringing the drill frame into contact with the face 20, after the proper angular positioning has been achieved, in a manner well known in the art. A drill actuating means such as a drill engine 52 suitably powered by pressure fluid or electrical energy and suitably connected to a source of such fluid or energy is longitudinally slidably mounted on the upper side of the drill frame 50 and provided 'with a suitable motor 53 for longitudinal movement therealong. The drill engine 52 is connected in keyed relationship with an elongated tool such as a drill steel 54 extending above and parallel to the upper side of the drill frame 51) and rotatably maintained in such relationship by one or more suitable centralizers or guides 56 in a manner well known in the art. A rock bit 58 is secured to the end of the drill steel 54 and so arranged that, with the drill steel 54 being rotated or impacted by the drill engine 52, forward motion of the drill engine 52 propelled by the feed motor 53 along the drill frame 56 provides feed motion to the drill steel 54 and consequently provides feed motion to the drill 58 in the production of holes in the face 20 extending into the mineral vein 18 as is well known.

The length of the connecting portion 40 is such that when the jib 12 and the drill frame 50 are in the position shown in the central fragmentary view of FIG. 1 and identified as 12' and 50' with their axes parallel to the central axis 17 of the entry 19 the center line of the drill steel 54 'will coincide with the axis of the jib 12' and the length of the forward portion 37 is such as to provide that with the drill frame 50 in the full retract position as shown in FIG. 1 the rearward end of the drill frame 50 will be at least slightly forwardly spaced from the forward end of the rearward portion 38 and the connecting portion 40 so that there will be no interference with the positioning of the drill frame in the desired aligned relationship with the jib 12.

It is to be noted that with the above described structure there is no possible interference by the jib swing cylinder 14 or the jib lift cylinder 16 as regards positioning of the drill frame 50 with respect to the offset roll-boom 36.

The operation of the offset roll-boom 36 of this invention is the same as that described for the straight rollboom of the above cited co-pending application excepting only when it is desired to produce holes parallel to the axis 17 within the area outlined by a dot and dash line in FIG. 3 and generally indicated as area 60 which is the blind spot or area within which holes parallel to the axis 17 cannot be produced with the straight boom structure of the cited application or with any known prior art device unless the mobile support is moved or an auxiliary drill is used. For the production of holes parallel to the axis 17 within the area 60 the jib 12 is swung into the straight forward position 12. by operation of the jib lift and swing cylinders 14 and 16 and the drill frame 50 is positioned by operation of the drill frame lift and swing cylinders 44 and 46, in the position shown as 50 with the drill steel aligned parallel to the axis 17 for the production of a hole 62 immediately below and vertically aligned with the axis 17 (see FIG. 3) while for the production of a hole 64 farther below the axis 17 and vertically aligned therewith the roll-boom 36 would be rotated into the upwardly offset position shown as 36" in FIG. 1 and the jib lift cylinder 16 operated into a shorter position to bring the drill frame 50 into position for aligning the drill steel 54 with the desired axis for the hole 64. In preparing for the typical burn round of modern day explosive techniques several relatively large holes such as 62, and 64 above described and similar holes such as hole 66 farther above the axis 17 are used in the central area to provide room' for the fracturing of the surrounding mineral. By using a smaller bit and slightly different positioning of the jib 12 and the frame 50 a plurality of relatively smaller holes generally indicated at 68, surrounding the larger holes 62, 64 and 66, is produced. The smaller holes 68 many of which are within the area 60 are developed for the positioning of explosive charges as is known and will be suitably charged and filled in preparation for explosive fracturing of the mineral vein 18.

From the above description the importance of the ability to drill holes parallel to the axis 17 within the area 60 will readily be seen.

With any straight boom machine drilling of holes parallel to the axis 17 within the area 60 is impossible. It is to be appreciated, of course, that if the jib 12 were mounted in some position laterally removed from the center line of the machine the area 60 would no longer occur exactly in the center of the face 20 but would still exist in some other portion of the face and constitute an area unavailable for parallel drilling.

The advantages inherent in the offset roll-boom of this invention reside in the freedom of positioning of the jib 12 and the drill frame 50 with no possible interference between the drill frame 50 and the lift or swing cylinders 14 and 16 of the jib 12 as well as in the ability to drill holes parallel to the axis of the face or entry without any blind spot interference.

A preferred embodiment of this invention having been herein described and shown it is to be appreciated that variations in structure and operation are within the scope of this invention. It is therefore respectfully requested that the claims appended hereto be interpreted as broadly as possible and limited only by the prior art.

What is claimed is:

1. An adjustable tool support comprising: elongated jib means having a tubular support portion, elongated boom means having a first elongated portion supported within said support portion for rotation on the central longitudinal axis thereof, said boom means having a second elongated portion with a longitudinal axis thereof parallel to and laterally spaced from said central longitudinal axis, power means for rotating said boom means about said central longitudinal axis, angularly adjustable elongated frame means universally pivotably mounted on said second portion, tool actuating means mounted on said frame means and movable linearly therealong for actuating a tool along a straight line, said line being laterally spaced from said longitudinal axis of said second portion when said axis of said second portion and said line are parallel, a distance equal to the lateral spacing of said longitudinal axis of said second portion from said central longitudinal axis.

2. An adjustable tool support as defined in claim 1 in which said angularly adjustable frame means has at least one position relative to said boom means at which said line is coincident with said central longitudinal axis.

3. An adjustable tool support comprising: elongated jib means having a tubular support portion, elongated boom means having a first elongated portion supported within said support portion for rotation on the central longitudinal axis thereof, said boom means having a second elongated portion With a longitudinal axis thereof parallel to and laterally spaced from said central longitudinal axis, angularly adjustable elongated frame means universally pivotably mounted on said second portion, tool rotating means mounted on said frame means with the rotation center thereof being movable linearly there-along in a straight line, and said line being laterally spaced from said longitudinal axis of said line are parallel a distance equal to the lateral spacing of said longitudinal axis of said second portion from said central longitudinal axis.

4. An adjustable tool support as defined in claim 3 in which said angularly adjustable frame means has at least one position relative to said boom means at which said line is coincident with said central longitudinal axis.

5. A drill mounting comprising: a mobile support means, elongated jib means universally pivotably sup ported by said support means, said jib means having a tubular support portion, elongated boom means having a first elongated portion supported Within said support portion for rotation on the central longitudinal axis thereof, said boom means having a second elongated portion with a longitudinal axis thereof parallel to and laterally spaced from said central longitudinal axis, power means mounted on said jib means and connected to said boom means for rotating said boom means about said central longitudinal axis, angularly adjustably elongated frame means universally pivotably mounted on the end of said second portion most remote from said support means, drill rotating means mounted on said frame means for linear movement therea-long, an elongated drill steel engaged with said rotating means and rotatable thereby about the central longitudinal axis of said drill steel, said central longitudinal axis of said drill steel being laterally spaced from said longitudinal axis of said second portion when said axes are parallel a distance and a direction that said longitudinal axis of said drill steel coincides with said central longitudinal axis of said support portion in at least one relative position of said frame means and said boom means.

6. A drill mounting comprising: a mobile support means: elongated jib means universally supported by said support means, said jib means having an internally cylindrical portion, elongated boom means having a first elongated portion supported within said cylindrical portion and rotatable on the central axis of said cylindrical portion, said boom means having a second elongated portion with a longitudinal axis thereof parallel to and laterally spaced a given distance from said central axis in a given direction, power means mounted on said jib means and connected to said boom means for so rotating said boom means; angularly adjustable elongated frame means universally pivotably mounted on the end of said second portion most remote from said support means, drill rotating means slidably mounted on said frame means for linear movement therealong, an elongated drill steel engaged with said rotating means and rotatable thereby about the longitudinal axis of said drill steel and linearly movable by said rotating means, said longitudinal axis of said drill steel being laterally spaced from said longitudinal axis of said second portion when said two last mentioned axes are parallel by said given distance in a direction opposite said given direction so that said longitudinal axis of said drill steel coincides with said central axis in certain positions of said frame means.

7. A rock drill mounting comprising: a mobile support means; elongated internally cylindrical jib means universally pivotably supported at one end by said support means; fluid actuated extensible cylinder means connected between said support means and said jib means for pivoting said jib means about said one end; elongated boom means having a first elongated externally cylindrical portion coaxial, and substantially axially coextensive, with said jib means and rotatable about the axis of said jib means and second elongated portion of said boom means having a longitudinal axis parallel to and laterally spaced a given distance from the longitudinal axis of said jib means in a given direction; power means mounted on said jib means and connected to said boom means for so rotating said boom means; angularly adjustable elongated frame means universally pivotably mounted on the end of said second portion most remote from said support means; power means for angularly adjusting said frame means into different positions relative to said jib means; drill rotating means slidably mounted on said frame means for linear movement therealong; an elongated drill steel engaged with said rotating means, rotatably supported by said frame means, rotatable about the longitudinal axis of said drill steel and linearly movable by said rotating means, said longitudinal axis of said drill steel being laterally spaced from said longitudinal axis of said second portion, when said two last mentioned axes are parallel, by said given distance in a direction opposite said given direction so that said longitudinal axis of said drill steel coincides with the longitudinal axis of said jib means when in the described position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,688,326 5/ 1953 Lehner 248-16 2,683,588 7/ 1954 Gunning 248-'13 2,703,222 3/1955 Feucht 1'73-43 3,020,012 2/ 1962 Moracco et al. n 173-4 3 3,186,222 5/1965 OLeary 173'38 3,237,462 3/1966 Worman 173'44 FRED C. MATIERN, JR., Primary Examiner.

L. P. KESSLER, Assistant Examiner,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,338 ,316 August 29 1967 Charles T. Thompson ied that error appears in the above numbered pat- It is hereby certif id Letters Patent should read as ent requiring correction and that the sa corrected below.

Column 5, line 33, after "axis of" insert said second portion when said axis of said second portion and Signed and sealed this 19th day of November 1968.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD J. BRENNER Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

1. AN ADJUSTABLE TOOL SUPPORT COMPRISING: ELONGATED JIB MEANS HAVING A TUBULAR SUPPORT PORTION, ELONGATED BOOM MEANS HAVING A FIRST ELONGATED PORTION SUPPORTED WITHIN SAID SUPPORT PORTION FOR ROTATION ON THE CENTRAL LONGITUDINAL AXIS THEREOF, SAID BOOM MEANS HAVING A SECOND ELONGATED PORTION WITH A LONGITUDINAL AXIS THEREOF PARALLEL TO AND LATERALLY SPACED FROM SAID CENTRAL LONGITUDINAL AXIS, POWER MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID BOOM MEANS ABOUT SAID CENTRAL LONGITUDINAL AXIS, ANGULARLY ADJUSTABLE ELONGATED FRAME MEANS UNIVERSALLY PIVOTABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SECOND PORTION, TOOL ACTUATING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME MEANS AND MOVABLE LINEARLY THEREALONG FOR ACTUATING A TOOL ALONG A STRAIGHT LINE, SAID LINE BEING LATERALLY SPACED FROM SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID SECOND PORTION WHEN SAID AXIS OF SAID SECOND PORTION AND SAID LINE ARE PARALLEL, A DISTANCE EQUAL TO THE LATERAL SPACING OF SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID SECOND PORTION FROM SAID CENTRAL LONGITUDINAL AXIS. 